Is the lens EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM for action?

hello everyone:

I am newbie to camera rebel XT. I want to shoot fast moving mountain biking races. I am considering getting the lens EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM.

Is this lens appropriate for fast action shots? I know this is not the L series. I can't afford L series at the moment. Will this lens produce clear, and sharp images at all??

You would probably want a faster lens for action; a lens with a wider aperture like 2.8.

MALI

ok thanks mali

If you can afford the new 70300IS, you can afford the 70200f4L. Both are good but the AF on the latter is faster.

how much does the 70-200 f/4L cost estimate street price? The canon website is overloaded now. I can't access it.

Sorry, didn't see you're in Canada. I don't know pricing over there. But here in the USA they're close in price, and both have rebates going right now. Buying used is also an option.

ring USM is the best for sports.

ed rader

I've got the older 75-300 IS and I'd say it's a poor choice for action. AF is too slow and you'll need a wider aperture for shooting in dark woodland - i.e most mountain biking venues. In fact I'm about to get a 50mm F1.8 Prime for that very purpose. They're very compact, super sharp and cost peanuts. I've actually found that a long zoom is not really required for mountain biking, unless you just want close-ups of faces and bike components

uktrailmonster wrote:
I've got the older 75-300 IS and I'd say it's a poor choice for action. AF is too slow and you'll need a wider aperture for shooting in dark woodland - i.e most mountain biking venues. In fact I'm about to get a 50mm F1.8 Prime for that very purpose. They're very compact, super sharp and cost peanuts. I've actually found that a long zoom is not really required for mountain biking, unless you just want close-ups of faces and bike components

I do want to take close shot of rider face when he rides downhill. I still want to zoom out for regular shot. What type of lens can you recommend?

I've seen the newer 70-300 with IS. In fact a fellow Canon user I know went through 3 copies, all of which had failing IS and other problems when being used for aviation photography before he gave up on it and bit the bullet for a 100-400.

Now I know all the 70-300's aren't bad, but this rather poor experience is the only one I've had with this lens

Could you confirm whether you're referring to the 75-300 IS, the 7-300 DO IS or the 7-300 IS which Canon released in October? It gets confusing sometimes with all these similar models running around. I believe that any 75-300 IS copies running around are the last in the pipeline.

I'm referring to the DO IS, which now that I read the post a little more carefully is not the lens which picard was referring to (I believe...as the DO IS is 4.5-5.6 I think). Sorry about that!

If you can't afford L quality and still want a big zoom range and good low light performance you're going to struggle a bit. Sigma might have something that isn't too expensive, but I've never used one? Mountain biking is tricky because the light is usually poor due to heavy tree cover. You really need F2.8 or better to have a good chance. I've tried my 75-300 IS in these conditions and it was rubbish. If you can physically get close to the action a fast prime is much better. A good flash should help a lot too.